There is is one more insect problem we can blame on the drought: false chinch bugs.  We have received several calls and messages about the false chinch bug over the past 2 weeks.  It has not been to the level of the last outbreak back in 1988, but those who did call described the "hordes of bugs" (also known as "a gazillion") that we've seen in the past.
 
False chinch bugs are small, elongate and beady-eyed.  See the photo below.
 
False chinch bugs are common in droughts. Earlier I wrote that Iowa had seen outbreaks of false chinch bug 3 times in 20 years. The recent calls and samples indicate it is happening again, making the current outbreak the 4th outbreak in 35 years.
 
Click here for the Clinic's online article about false chinch bugs. 
 
More information and more photos are available at BugGuide.
 
Also see Colorado State University Extension bulletin 5.603.
 
Please let us know if you run into this problem.
 
 

False chinch bugs on a yellow sticky trap